10 Under-the-Radar Tribeca Film Festival Movies You Need to See

The tenth annual Tribeca Film Festival came to a close last night in New York, marking the end of a week-and-a-half whirlwind of red carpet premieres, concerts, neighborhood events, and even a film or two… or 93. As the festival kicked off, we plucked the ten most-buzzed titles from the Tribeca menu, and many of them lived up to the hype (Everything Must Go, Catching Hell, Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, The Swell Season). But often, the best films at Tribeca are the ones you’ve never heard of — the quiet indies, the impassioned documentaries, and so on. After the jump, we’ll take a look at ten more Tribeca must-sees.

John Michael McDonagh’s The Guard recalls In Bruges, not just in its Irish settings and the big, open face of star Brendan Gleeson, but in the snappy dialogue, quick and dirty, which moves at such speed that the filmmaker takes it on good faith that audiences will keep up. (The resemblance is not just superficial, it is fraternal — In Bruges writer/director Martin McDonagh is this filmmaker’s brother. They put something in the water in that house.) McDonagh’s dialogue bristles with his unique voice — a clever mix of insults, callbacks, put-ons, understatements, and cheerfully inventive profanity. It’s a smart, funny, dark little treat of a movie, and Gleeson — overflowing with vices, yet somehow also brave and honorable — is a wickedly enjoyable leading man.